The Importance of Transparency in eCommerce | Clarity

Areas of eCommerce Where Transparency is Key

As the eCommerce realm continues to grow and choices multiply, customers are able to be as picky as they want when it comes to what site they should buy from. One of the major factors that influences what site they choose: transparency. Customers want to feel like eCommerce shops and sites are being transparent and giving them all of the information, not playing a game of smoke and mirrors. And transparency isn’t just good for customers; it’s beneficial for businesses as well. Greater transparency leads to fewer abandoned shopping carts and more satisfied customers. Below are some areas that should be focused on when trying to enhance the transparency of your eCommerce business.

Product Availability

The first item to work on when trying to improve transparency is displaying product availability. No customer wants to get to the end of checking out online only to find out that the product they are buying isn’t in stock and is on back order, which means it could take weeks and sometimes even months to come in. This is one of the quickest ways to make a customer unhappy, cancel their order, or abandon their shopping cart. The best way to handle out of stock items is to have a note on the product page that says the item is out of stock and will have to be back ordered, along with an estimate of how long it will take the item to get to them. This way, the customer will know exactly what they are getting into if they still choose to purchase the item.

Pricing and Promotions

Two other very important areas to focus on when increasing transparency are pricing and promotions. With pricing, you need to show customers the entire price they will be paying for an item. At the end of the checkout, they don’t want to see miscellaneous charges that are attached to the item that they are buying that they didn’t know about. Also, if the price is based upon how many of an item they are buying, that needs to be clear to them before they have added it to their cart. They shouldn’t be expecting to pay five dollars for one because that is what you advertised when the five dollar price only applies when they are buying ten or more. The same goes for promotions. Promotions need to be clearly outlined so customers don’t feel like they were duped into buying something that they thought was on sale but actually wasn’t

Shipping and Handling Fees

Another area that needs to have transparency is shipping and handling costs. The prices you charge for shipping and handling need to be easily found on your site and there should be a link or tab on each product page so customers can quickly see how much shipping will cost. If you wait until the end of checkout to show customers the price they will be paying for shipping, many will abandon their carts, unless you are offering free shipping. It is much easier and more constructive to let customers know from the beginning how much shipping will cost them so they can factor that into how much they would like to spend.

Clarity Can Help

For nearly a decade, Clarity has been providing businesses with world class eCommerce tools and solutions. We strive to help eCommerce businesses become successful in their industries as well as the eCommerce realm. Our team of expert developers has helped numerous clients create eCommerce sites where transparency is a top priority. To learn more about how to enhance your eCommerce site’s transparency or to speak with an expert about eCommerce development, call or click to contact us today!